1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to plastic and like containers and more particularly to plastic sleeve-type containers having end pieces for locking engagement therewith.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, numerous folding cartons are present for packaging various kinds of goods to be sold to consumers. Paperboard or cardboard has long been used to manufacture such containers and the formation of paperboard or cardboard containers by assembling them from folded blanks along preformed fold lines has become a highly developed and most sophisticated art. The cardboard or paperboard type of container is advantageous from several standpoints. It can be rapidly manufactured and in fact it has been known to process blanks of cardboard or paperboard into boxes or containers at a rate of 120,000 per hour. Additionally, cardboard or paperboard is most amenable to the receipt of printed matter from high speed printing presses. This permits the use of advertising, pictorial representation, and other indicia relating to the product contained in the package to be placed on the surface of the package. The characteristic of the paperboard to absorb ink has made it most amenable to such use.
More recently, a number of factors have come into play which have made clear plastic containers more desirable than paperboard or cardboard for the storage and display of consumer products. One factor is that diminishing supplies of pulpwood have resulted in shortages of cardboard and paperboard, necessitating a search of substitutes for cardboard and paperboard as packaging materials. Another factor is that sale of small goods in a loose or bulk format has become increasingly more expensive as such goods are most vulnerable to pilfering in the store. Accordingly, it has been desired to place such goods in individual packages and have the goods be visible so that they may be sold in a supermarket type of format, while the goods are not amenable to being easily placed in the pocket of a purchaser due to the clear plastic packages they are sold in. Still further, the waterproof and liquid resistant characteristics of many plastics, particularly those of the polyvinylchloride class, have made these materials most desirable for the containment of small consumer goods such as cigarette lighters. All of the above factors have contributed to the substantial displacement of cardboard and paperboard containers by clear plastic containers for small items.
The small plastic containers which have been used heretofore have overcome a number of these above enumerated problems. However, certain problems have been inherent in the small plastic containers themselves. Specifically, the containers have been difficult to assemble and have not been amenable to snap-on type of closures. Furthermore, many of the containers which have been used do not have a pleasing appearance to the eye and utilize bulky closure devices which tend to hide the contents of the container. Some containers have had their closure portions constructed of cardboard. This has required that the containers be properly oriented in order to most attractively display the goods contained therein in a retail store. Additionally, some prior art devices have utilized two or three portions, each folded of a plastic sheet, secured together by interlocking tabs. These boxes have been difficult to assemble and have not been readily reassembleable in a store, after they may have been disturbed. A further disadvantage present in much of the prior art is that the prior art containers are expensive to manufacture, thus making it difficult for clear plastic containers to compete effectively with other brands of packages.
Foldability of plastic sheets, such as are used in the present container, has been a problem and has been addressed by the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,825, issued to me. The disclosure of that patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
It has also been known to manufacture a folded plastic container from a single sheet of clear plastic; such a container is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,242. The disclosure of that patent is also hereby incorporated herein by reference. Boxes such as those of my U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,242 must be assembled by folding the portions together and indeed, in many aplications, are most appropriate. However, it is sometimes desired to have a box which is easily assembleable and disassembleable by snap-on lids. The choice of container is dictated largely by the kind of product that the box will be required to contain in a store and by the environment in which the product will be sold.